Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

When Fishes Flew

Chapter book

This first new novel in two years from the Nation’s Favourite Storyteller is a sweeping story of love and rescue – an unforgettable journey to the Greek island of Ithaca, and back in time to World War Two…

Australian-Greek girl Nandi travels to her ancestors’ home in Ithaca, and discovers – through a friendship with an extremely unusual flying fish – the extraordinary story of her great-aunt Elena; of how she fell in love, in the hardest of times, and how of how she became an unsung hero of World War Two.

But Elena has gone missing, and Nandi has to find her. In her search, she will discover that Elena was an even greater hero than she thought – and still is…

Nandi’s story is a beautiful and inspiring tale of personal discovery, of love and place and belonging, threaded through with the quiet heroism of everyday people. Stunningly illustrated throughout by acclaimed artist George Butler, and full of magic, myth and mystery, it is a classic Morpurgo novel that will move and thrill every reader who loved Private Peaceful and War Horse , and combines all the hallmarks of this beloved Master Storyteller.

Barry Loser Total Winner

Jim Smith

Graphic novel

Brand new adventures for Barry Loser in this new series of full colour graphic novels – perfect for fans of DogMan, Bunny vs Monkey and Kitty Quest

Celebrating Barry Loser’s 10th birthday with a new series of graphic novel adventures!

The bestselling, award-winning Barry Loser series is ten years old and Barry, Bunky, Nancy and the gang are off on a series of new adventures – in full colour graphic novel format and with ‘how to draw’ sections to help you make your own comic books!

In the first book, Barry has had enough of being a loser and wants to prove he’s a Total Winner, but when his parents ban him from gaming he has to think outside of the box . . . Barry also has a new cat called French Fries – the keelest cat ever amen.

Lightfall

Tim Probert

Graphic novel

Lightfall ‘The Girl and The Galdurian’ was my starting place for the discovery of graphic novels – a foray into a genre I had hitherto avoided – and what a spectacular journey it was! The artwork in graphic novels is a hugely important part of the book and Lightfall is no exception – the artwork alone is a captivating example of a great graphic novel and a gentle introduction to the genre for mid to upper KS2.

The storyline is great too. Tim Probert, in his first full-length graphic novel, takes us on an enchanting journey through the world of Irpa, a place where the sun has been extinguished and the Galdurians, an ancient race, have created floating lights to act in place of the sun. The story follows Beatrice a young girl who lives peacefully foraging for plants and making medicines with her adoptive grandfather, Alfirid, known as the Pig Wizard. However one day her grandfather disappears and so Bea sets out to find him. On her journey, she meets Cadwallader, a Galdurian who is lost, and together they embark on an epic adventure.

Tim Probert’s artwork is beautiful, with images saying more than words alone – such as the twisting vines that twine around Bea when she is feeling anxious or fearful. Lightfall paints a rich fantasy world filled with the heartwarming tale of two adventurers and their friendship and courage. Book One, The Girl and the Galdurian, leaves us keen for more – and Books Two and Three continue the epic adventure.

Lifesize Baby Animals

Sophy Henn

Picturebook

Following on from Lifesize Animals and Lifesize Dinosaurs, Lifesize Baby Animals does exactly what it promises and over the course of its 32 oversize (30x30cm) pages shows the actual size of real-life babies, from tiny baby possums (the size of a full stop) to gargantuan baby blue whales (the size an ambulance at birth).

The illustrations are attractive and often portray the animals within their natural habitats. The text is accessible and clear, suitable from 3+, and introduces basic factual information (“It’s actually seahorse daddies that give birth: to up to 2,000 babies at one time!”) combined with engaging questions (“Imagine having that many brothers and sisters…How would you remember all their names?”).

Reading this book aloud will prompt a chorus of oohs and aahs. A nice finishing touch is the final page, which shows a summary of each baby and adult creature with is length shown in ‘lifesize books’ and an invitation to measure yourself in books to see how you compare – this could make an excellent maths link, measuring out bears, elephants and whales on the classroom floor.

Lifesize Baby Animals is a beautiful classroom book, which would be invaluable during a topic on lifecycles/growth.

The Christmas Carrolls

Mel Taylor-Bessent & Selom Sunu

Chapter book

Mel Taylor-Bessent offers her own masterclass in writing for children in the form of her debut chapter book, The Christmas Carrolls. Sprinkled with seasonal goodwill and a good dose of ho-ho-ho, this is a perfectly heart-warming and humorous read for the festive season.

Holly Carroll and her family are crazy about Christmas, but with a little help from a special new friend, Holly discovers that the festive season is not always as cheer-filled for everyone as she once thought. When the world begins to lose its sparkle, Holly finds a way to channel her inner Christmas spirit to embrace her community and make a real difference to those in need.

We thoroughly enjoyed this feel-good read with its loveable cast of characters, festive puns aplenty and themes of kindness, inclusion and sparing a thought for others in the community.

Einstein the Penguin

Iona Rangeley & David Tazzyman

Chapter book

When Mrs Stewart invites a small penguin to visit on a spontaneous visit to London Zoo, no one could have imagined that later that day they would find him on their doorstep, rucksack on his back and an adventure about to begin…

Einstein the Penguin is the debut children’s novel for Iona Rangeley, aptly brought to life with the help of the award-winning illustrator, David Tazzyman. A lovely mix of whodunnit with a slightly preposterous story of a penguin who comes to live with our two heroes, Imogen (age 9) and Arthur (age 6), causing them to put aside their sibling squabbles and come to his rescue. Rangeley manages to pull at your heartstrings as you come to understand each of the characters’ insecurities, bringing together the fear of losing a friend with the loneliness associated with never having had one. The grown-ups are scatty at best and young readers will love it as our heroes come to put one over on them.

Lovely as a class readaloud, children will enjoy the parody of incompetent teachers/zoo-keepers/detectives/parents while also prompting several discussion points about right and wrong. This could be a fun next step for readers who have enjoyed Paddington or Erica’s Elephant.

Pax: Journey Home

Jon Klassen & Sara Pennypacker

Chapter book

Fans of Sara Pennypacker’s Pax will be thrilled to see the arrival of the long-awaited sequel this month.

A year ago, Peter met his former pet fox, Pax, for what he assumed was the last time. Since then Pax has been happy as part of a new family in the wild. Thirteen year old Peter, on the other hand, has now lost not just his mother and his beloved pet but also his father, killed in the war. That just leaves his grandfather, who makes him feel inadequate. He’s determined to bury his feelings of guilt, hurt and loss by striking out alone and shunning close relationships.

He sets off to join the Water Warriors, cleaning up water that has been contaminated by the war near to his old home. Meanwhile, unbeknownst to him, Pax is travelling in the same direction – towards Peter but also towards the contaminated water. Slowly, surely, inevitably, their paths collide.

Told alternately from the points of view of Peter and Pax (although always in the third person), this story will break your heart and warm it at the same time. It’s a superb and sensitive portrait of how emotions can become tangled and how grief can become toxic. It draws you into the vivid tale of companionship between boy and fox and compels you to ponder the complex relationships between loss and guilt, loyalty and love.

Despite being a sequel to Pax, it stands alone very well, although I would recommend reading the books as a pair. Doing so heightens the pathos of watching Peter follow the emotionally self-destructive path set by his father and, ultimately, finding healing and redemption through love.

The emotional content of the book makes it ideal for broaching difficult subjects like bereavement and mental wellbeing. The setting and context link it to environmental issues, most of all the importance of water. The story as a whole is a joyous read – perfect reading for pleasure material. I read it with tears running down my face and since I’ve finished it, I’ve felt somewhat bereft myself.

Delightfully Different Fairy Tales

David Roberts & Lynn Roberts-Maloney

Short story collection

This is a wonderful collection of three classic fairy tales (Cinderella, Rapunzel and Sleeping Beauty), lovingly retold by Lynn Roberts-Maloney and fantastically reimagined by David Roberts’ illustrations.

Cinderella is set in a 1920s/30s world, full of art deco style and carefully-researched tributes to the era throughout the illustrations. Her horse and carriage gets updated to a sort of Rolls Royce Phantom and the dishes that she labours over have a very Clarice Cliff feel, for example. Setting the tale in this period is a masterstroke, as the period was full of decadence for the likes of a prince. There are slight changes to the plot but it is still pretty true to the well-known versions, overall.

Rapunzel is given a 1970s remake. In a decade of long hair and rock and roll, her tower is a tower block with a broken lift and her Prince is a lead singer in a band. Music is a recurring theme and that 70s youth culture pervades. As in all three stories, the female lead is refreshingly empowered and takes her fate in her own hands.

For me, Sleeping Beauty is the pick of the bunch. Here, the illustrations are closer to the style of the recent Iggy Peck, Ava Twist and Rosie Revere books, for which David Roberts is most familiar. The twist is a bigger one this time with no prince at all and a leap into the future. There’s still a happy ending and a truly satisfying one at that. As with the other two tales, it invites comparisons and re-readings of more traditional versions and would be a worthy addition to a unit of work on fairy tales in class.

The Fate of Fausto

Oliver Jeffers

Chapter book

Award-winning picture book creator Oliver Jeffers brings us a modern day ‘painted fable’ about one man’s greedy desire to possess everything. Readers familiar with Jeffers’ books will know to expect colourful, exquisite illustrations and poignant text and this book continues to be marked by the same distinctive style but has a much more minimalistic feel, with sparse text and expenses of white pages demanding of the reader moments to pause and think about the story’s important message.

The central character Fausto is greedy, tyrannical and self-important as he strolls through the landscape, surveying what he sees and declaring that it all belongs to him. “You are mine,” he tells the flower, a sheep, a tree and a lake. With little resistance his new subjects agree to be his, but Fausto finds the mountain less yielding. Fausto stamps his feet in rage and puts up a fight until the mountain bows down to him and agrees to be owned. Looking for something larger to conquer, Fausto turns to the vast blue sea, but his happy tyranny soon turns to ‘anger and importance’ as the sea is altogether more resistant. Resorting once more to foot-stamping, Fausto (unable to swim) is quickly swallowed up by the sea’s depths and the natural world returns to its original serenity. The narrative ends showing the natural elements at peace and by reminding the reader that ‘The Fate of Fausto did not matter to them.’

Minimal text and suggestive illustrations work together beautifully, allowing the reader to fill the gaps. With such an important message about human greed and the destructive nature of materialism, the book refuses to allow the reader to sit back without engaging with the point that sometimes, in the grand scheme of things, less is more.

Jeffers uses traditional lithographic printmaking techniques to create the illustrations, setting neon pinks and yellows against earthier shades of greens, browns and blues. Fausto’s body language brilliantly captures his pomposity and aggression, with toddler-like poses and scribbles of rage contrasting with the controlled, textured strokes of the landscape.

There’s something for young and old in this unusual and thought-provoking tale; humour, warmth and the hint of discomfort that arrives when we recognise aspects of our own attitudes in Fausto’s fable and hope for a better fate for ourselves.

Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver

Michael Foreman & Michael Morpurgo

Chapter book

Award-winning storyteller Sir Michael Morpurgo brings his loyal readership a brand new novel this autumn, brought to life with line illustrations by Michael Foreman.

Boy Giant: Son of Gulliver is a heartwarming refugee story about hope and humanity in times of being without a place to call home. Omar is making the perilous journey across the sea to England after his home in Afghanistan has been devastated by war. After seeing his family torn apart, Omar and his mother walk for miles to reach the coastline in order to board a boat heading to a safer place to find refuge. Not having enough money to pay the fare for two, Mother persuades Omar to take the journey to England alone and wait for her there. Uncle Said owns a cafe on Fore Street, Mevagissey and Omar repeats the address over and over so that he doesn’t forget where to wait.

The sea journey is terrifyingly perilous and before long waves are crashing over the sides and Omar watches the boat fill with water as hope of being reunited with mother begins to fade. A powerful sea storm sees Omar losing consciousness and after a while he awakes on the shores of an island. Taking in the crowd of friendly and curious faces staring at him and hearing a few words that he recognises from his limited English, Omar dares to hope that he has reached England’s shores at last. There’s only one problem; the people here are small enough to fit in his hand and he is a mountainous giant by comparison. Omar soon realises much to his dismay that this is not England but the island of Lilliput, which keen-eyed readers may recognise from the story of Gulliver’s Travels set a few hundred years before. Now, the Lilliputians call Omar a ‘Son of Gulliver’ and welcome him with warmth and kindness. But Omar soon discovers that the island is under threat, and the peace-making legacy of Gulliver from the past needs his help to be restored.

This is a gripping story offering an original twist on a well-loved classic. The story of Gulliver is cleverly leaned upon in both structure and narrative and the revisiting of Lilliput is delightful to those familiar with the details and themes of Gulliver’s Travels. Importantly, it does not matter that the majority of young readers will be unfamiliar with the original, as Morpurgo explains all the necessary background through the story.

With important themes of reconciliation, kindness to strangers and the devastating effects of war, this is a thrilling read that raises questions about whether humanity will ever learn from its past as well as being an imaginatively-rendered encouragement to individuals to seek reconciliation over conflict in everyday situations.

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